REVIEW: A radiantly loverly My Fair Lady’ at North Shore Music Theatre

The 2011 opener at North Shore Music Theatre is a graceful, energetic production of the Broadway classic “My Fair Lady.” Illuminated by first-rate performances, costumes and choreography, it brought the opening night audience to its feet for a standing ovation.

By Sally Applegate / Wicked Local

Milford Daily News

By Sally Applegate / Wicked Local

Posted Jun. 8, 2011 at 12:01 AM
Updated Jun 8, 2011 at 8:14 AM

By Sally Applegate / Wicked Local

Posted Jun. 8, 2011 at 12:01 AM
Updated Jun 8, 2011 at 8:14 AM

Beverly, Mass.

» Social News

The delightful arena music theater brought back to life by owner/producer Bill Hanney is off to its second season under his leadership. The 2011 opener at North Shore Music Theatre is a graceful, energetic production of the Broadway classic “My Fair Lady.” Illuminated by first-rate performances, costumes and choreography, it brought the opening night audience to its feet for a standing ovation.

Lisa O’Hare is luminously beautiful as Eliza Doolittle, the cockney flower girl transformed into a lady by a domineering speech professor. Her singing voice is absolutely gorgeous, her refreshingly direct characterization engaging. From her first “garrrrn” and “aowww,” the audience is in love with her. She is exquisitely beautiful when transformed into a lady. Her voice is also exquisitely beautiful in songs like “I Could Have Danced All Night.”

As speech expert and woman-avoider Professor Henry Higgins, Charles Shaughnessy — yes, from “The Nanny” — is handsome, charming, and infuriating. Happily mining the sophisticated humor of his role, he uses a nice singing voice to advantage, performing more of the music in his numbers than we are used to hearing. This works particularly well in the touching “I’ve Grown Accustomed to her Face.”

Looking like the all-American boy and employing a great tenor voice as the smitten Freddy Eynsford-Hill, Hayden Tee gives his all to his one hit number, “On the Street Where You Live.”

Bill Dietrich is raffish and rascally as Henry Doolittle, an every-man-for-himself type of non-father. He has a great way with English Music Hall dance moves, and employs them effortlessly in “Get Me to the Church on Time” and “With a Little Bit of Luck.”

Cheryl McMahon is wonderful as Mrs. Pearce and Sarah deLima also turns in a great performance as the mother of Professor Higgins.

There is a wonderful quartet of English working-class men at the beginning of this show, and a first-rate ensemble cast performing the wonderful Lerner and Loewe score.

The choreography of Michael Lichtefeld is highly original and first-rate. Gail Baldoni’s costumes are spectacular. The choreography and costumes are particularly delightful in the hilariously snooty “The Ascot Gavotte.”

Under the expert direction of Charles Repole, this show flows and the staging has some wonderfully original blocking.

If you are up for a gorgeously produced and performed classic show full of famous hit songs, this is the one for you.